Enough
by sej1986
Summary: Ultimately Jack&Chloe. Day Six AU, possible spoilers Please bear in mind I haven't seen season 6 so I apologise if I am out with a few details. Contains a bit of shooting but nothing graphic. Please R
1. Chapter 1

**_Enough Part One_**

Bill Buchanan had called her at 9pm, asking her to come into CTU. Instantly she knew it had to be something to do with Jack.

She hadn't set foot in CTU for almost two years- it was too painful. It just brought back memories of Jack, memories of how they had planned to leave that part of their lives behind and return to D.C.

She considered ringing her father. He'd been so understanding, letting her take time out to think about what she wanted to do. It hadn't taken long for her to decide to return to work; what use was she to Jack just sitting round her empty apartment and crying?

She reached for the phone and had dialled her father's private number before changing her mind. The Secretary of Defense was a smart man- he'd been practical about the whole situation, allowing his daughter to hold on to the belief that Jack was alive while deep down, she knew he probably thought he was dead.

Audrey wouldn't- couldn't- allow herself to believe that. She still loved him, despite…

"Honey, who was on the phone?"

Audrey looked up from the briefcase she was packing. "Bill Buchanan."

She saw Eddie tense. "What did he want?"

"He didn't say." She laid a hand on his arm.

"Strange that they call you," Eddie muttered. "Especially after all this time."

Audrey sighed tiredly. "Okay, so it might be about Jack. I don't know. But Eddie." She looked into his eyes, saw him look away. "I have to go. I have to help them."

"I know you do," he said finally. He kissed her cheek. "So go. I'll be here when you get back."

"Thankyou, Eddie."

"I'm going out to John and Claire's remember?"

Audrey's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh… I forgot."

"It's okay, they'll understand."

"Tell them I'm sorry."

Eddie smiled, kissed her. "See you later."

As she returned to her packing, she heard the front door close and Eddie's car backing out of the drive.

She and Eddie had been staying in LA while Eddie was on a business trip. Audrey wasn't surprised CTU knew where she was; her father had probably told them. He knew how much Jack meant to her…

A noise outside brought her back to reality.

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"Audrey Raines will be here soon," Bill told Chloe. "Can you bring her up to my office when she arrives?"

Chloe wanted to reply that she wasn't his personal receptionist but something told her now wasn't the time for smart comments.

Bill walked away, no doubt back up to his office. Jack was out in the field; he'd just rung in to say he was on his way back.

Obviously Audrey was being called in so she could be reunited with Jack. Chloe could think of no other explanation. She'd heard Bill on the phone to Secretary Heller- his tone had been friendly, relaxed. If it had been a crisis Audrey would have been at CTU already.

Chloe tried to shake thoughts of Jack and Audrey together out of her mind and focus on the task in hand.

It was quarter past nine when Jack and the tac team returned. The floor was suddenly noisy; that always happened when field agents came back from a mission, everyone wanted to know what had been going on.

"The hero returns," muttered Morris. Chloe turned to see him stood behind her, glaring at Jack.

"Get back to work," she snapped at him.

"Defending him as always," he retorted, but it was his parting shot. Relieved, Chloe returned her attention to her screen.

"Hey."

"Hey." She didn't look at him.

"Thankyou for getting us back here alive." His tone was gentle and Chloe felt her stomach doing somersaults.

"Just doing-"

"-your job, I know." Jack smiled and Chloe looked at him. She reminded herself that in a few minutes he would be reunited with the love of his life, and forced herself to be blunt with him.

"Right. So I've got loads on here, is there anything else you need?"

It didn't work quite as expected.

"Not right now," he replied, smiling as he walked away.

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Four armed men were pacing around the tiny lounge, their weapons trained on the visibly scared woman tied up on the couch. They'd warned her not to scream and she didn't dare. She'd seen enough dangerous men to know when they were being serious.

One of them suddenly produced a phone. Striding over to Audrey, he untied her hands and shoved the phone at her.

"Ring Mr. Bauer," he whispered dangerously. "Invite him round."

Instinctively, and with a jolt of fear, Audrey knew where this was going.

"No."

She instantly regretted her choice of words when she felt the barrel of a gun pressed to the back of her head.

"I think you will, Miss Raines." The voice in her ear was menacing. Audrey felt more tears spring to her eyes but was determined stay strong.

Taking a deep breath, she snatched the phone out of the man's gloved hand and held it. Her hands were defying her; they were shaking and she dropped the phone twice before getting a good grip and forcing herself to dial.

She still had his cell number plugged into her speed dial. Trying this, it diverted to answer phone after two rings. Either it was off or he no longer used it. Audrey suspected the latter.

"What's taking you so long?"

"He's not answering."

"Try again."

Biting back tears, Audrey dialled the only number she could think of.

"CTU, this is Buchanan."

Suddenly unsure, Audrey paused, flailing for an idea of what to say to him.

"Hello? This line is being monitored so if you're trying to hack in we will find you."

Audrey almost sobbed at the authority in his voice. Bill Buchanan was someone to trust. However, she resisted the urge to blurt it all out, opting instead for a calmer tone, something that wouldn't give her away.

"Hi, Bill, it's Audrey Raines here. I appreciate you've got a job to do but I would like to know why you have called me in. Is it to do with Jack?"

Hesitation on the other end told her she was right.

"Can I speak to him, Bill?"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea right now, Audrey."

"Don't patronise me, Bill, I understand what's been happening these last few weeks. What I don't understand is why I have suddenly been called after two years of no contact. After all that I went through with CTU, don't you think I have a right to know?" She hoped the abruptness in her tone would get through to him, although she hated talking to Bill in such a way. She still thought about that day… the day Jack was taken… and how she had stood back and let Homeland Security remove Bill from his position. She wasn't sure she had ever forgiven herself for that; the look on his face as he'd strode past her had certainly never left her mind.

"Okay. I don't have time to argue this right now. Yes, it is about Jack. Yes, he's here. I'll patch you through to his station, hold on." Bill sounded annoyed but Audrey had achieved what she wanted.

"Okay, Audrey. You're through." A click on the line told her Bill had hung up. Audrey silently thanked him for his discretion.

"Bauer."

Hearing his voice threw her completely.

"Oh, God… Jack, it's me."

"Audrey?"

"Yeah, it's me." A small sob escaped and she closed her eyes, trying to block out the armed men around her.

"Audrey, what's wrong?"

A sharp nudge on the back of her head brought her crashing back to reality. "Hurry up," someone snarled, their breath uncomfortably close to her ear.

"Jack, can I see you?"

"See me?"

"Yeah. Bill has asked me to come in but I really can't make it just yet. I've really missed you, Jack."

She heard a sharp intake of breath. "I've missed you too."

"I'm staying in LA for a while. Can I meet you?"

"Oh, um, of course. Hold on. Okay, where are you?"

As she told him her address, she wished she could warn him, scream at him not to come. She was effectively leading him back to his captors, captors who, it seemed, hadn't been too happy about handing him back over to the US government that morning.

"I'll be there soon," he promised, then the line went dead. Audrey didn't know what else she'd expected. An "I love you?" But why should he? And why should she expect it, if she wasn't sure she could now say it back to him.

She looked back up at Cheng, hate filling every fibre of her being.

"The Secretary of Defense will find out about this. You won't get away with it!"

Cheng laughed, a horrible, chilling sound. "Please, Miss Raines. Don't make empty threats. The phone, please?" He extended a hand.

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"Jack, where are you going?"

Bill Buchanan had taken the stairs two at a time as soon as he'd seen Jack hang up the phone. He didn't like the way this was playing out.

Jack glanced up, already on his feet. "I'm going to see Audrey," he replied, shrugging on his jacket.

"But she'll be here in a minute."

"She said she won't be able to make it just yet. Listen Bill, I don't work for you any more. You can't make me stay here indefinitely."

Bill chose to ignore this act of apparent insubordination, although Jack was right.

"Jack, listen to me. When I spoke to Audrey earlier on she told me she would be here in twenty minutes. That was thirty five minutes ago. Something's not right."

Jack suddenly recalled her anguished sob as she'd spoken to him. He cursed himself for not having picked up on it straight away.

"What do you suggest?"

"This could be a trap. I want to send a tac team with you. That's final," Bill added, holding up a hand as Jack started to voice his opposition to the idea. "And you're wearing a wire. A discrete one, obviously. We want to be prepared."

"Fine. Then let's do it." Jack's impatience was clear but he followed Bill across the floor to Curtis's station.

"Curtis, get a team ready to leave in five. Chloe," he yelled across the floor, "I need you to pass everything you're doing to Milo and run comms on an operation for me. Now."

The floor came to life at Bill's commands. Jack cast a look over at Chloe, who was eyeing him worriedly. There was no time to explain it to her; he just hoped she would trust him.

"Okay, let's go!" Bill shouted. "There can be no mistakes here."

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Less than five minutes later, they were roaring past security and onto the main road, Curtis at the wheel.

Jack sat beside him, his eyes on the road. He was trying not to think about what might have happened to Audrey. He didn't think he would be able to live with himself if anything happened to her.

"It might be nothing," Curtis offered, although both men trusted Bill Buchanan's instinct enough to know that this was far from nothing.

He got no response from Jack.

"CTU, we're eight minutes out," he almost shouted into his comms unit.

"Copy that," came Chloe's voice.

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Both Audrey and Cheng looked up at the sound of a vehicle approaching the house. One of the men walked over to the window, pulled back the blind. Obviously satisfied with what he saw, he dropped the curtain and turned back to Cheng.

"He's here."

"Alone?"

"Yes. There's only one vehicle."

Cheng nodded slowly. "Okay. Here's what's going to happen. He's going to knock on the door, and Miss Raines is going to answer it. Then, you will lead him back in here, where will we be… hidden… and shut the door. If you say anything to him, one word, and we will not hesitate to kill you both."

As if to emphasise the point, all three henchmen lifted their weapons and aimed them at her.

"Am I clear, Miss Raines?"

Audrey nodded mutely.

Several seconds passed before Jack knocked on the door. Cheng motioned to Audrey to go and answer it, and as she left the room she noticed them positioning themselves out of sight of the door.

"One word."

"I know."

The walk from the lounge to the door seemed to take no time at all. Brushing tears from her eyes, Audrey composed herself as best as she could and opened the door.

Jack stood on the other side, looking worried, thin, and downright exhausted. "Audrey…"

He stepped inside and pulled her to him, and she collapsed gratefully into his arms, shaking with tears.

"I'm so sorry, Jack."

"Sorry? What for?"

She bit her lip and shook her head. Closing the front door, she risked a peak outside, praying for a glimpse of another CTU vehicle. There wasn't one.

"This way," she told him, holding out her hand and leading the way to the lounge. He took it without question, knowing she would answer him when she was ready.

"I'm so so sorry," she whispered again as they stepped into the sparsely furnished lounge. The door clicked shut behind them. Suddenly wary, Jack reached for the gun at his belt.

"Who's here, Audrey?"

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you."

Cheng stepped out of the shadows. "You didn't really think you would get away from us that easily, did you?"


	2. Chapter 2

_**Enough Part Two**_

Jack fell back against the wall, memories of the last two years brought to the surface at the sound of Cheng's accent. Audrey reached out for him, but suddenly found herself lifted off her feet by strong arms, and transplanted on the other side of the room. She watched helplessly as Cheng stepped towards Jack, cornering him. The fight had gone out of Jack's eyes; they were almost lifeless. He stared blankly at the back of the sofa, silently fighting an inner battle.

"Leave him alone!" she shrieked hysterically. She earned herself a slap across the face but Cheng didn't even turn around.

"You didn't really think we would just… hand you back? Oh, you did?"

Jack's breathing became laboured, his jaw clenched in his determination not to break down.

"Are you here alone, Mr Bauer?"

Cheng took a few more steps towards him. Audrey saw Jack shrink back visibly as Cheng reached out to check him for a wire. It was unbearable seeing him in so much pain. She couldn't help it; she started crying.

"Shut her up," Cheng barked.

At that, Jack found his voice.

"Don't touch her. It's me you want. Leave her alone."

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Realisation hit Chloe. She felt as though she'd been punched. Glancing up at Buchanan, she saw him pale as he shouted to Curtis through his headset. Leaning against the table for support, Chloe feared her legs would fail her.

"Curtis, you have a go! I repeat, you have a go!"

"Have we confirmed the voice?" someone called.

"We know who it is," spat Bill, his voice livid. "How dare they…" He smacked his fist against the wall, his frustration evident. "I let him walk right into it."

"No, you didn't," Chloe said quietly. "He took the tac team."

"I shouldn't have let him leave!"

"We all watched him go," she said, more to herself than to Bill.

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Jack blocked out everything. He'd learnt to do that while he was in China; just shut his mind down and numb himself to whatever they did to him. Sometimes it had worked, others it hadn't. He wasn't coping so great this time; the sound of Audrey crying bombarded his senses, sent his mind reeling. His eyes were closed, so he only hoped they weren't hurting her. He didn't dare to open them, wouldn't give Cheng the satisfaction.

He hadn't actually touched him, but he didn't need to. Just his presence was enough, sending chills down Jack's spine. Jack found himself praying, another thing he'd picked up whilst in China. Never really a religious person, he had found himself praying every night for the torture to end, for God to put him out of his misery. He didn't know how he'd held out as long as he had; reality told him he shouldn't have lasted half as long.

Now, he prayed that Buchanan and Chloe had verified Cheng's voice, and that Curtis would come crashing through the front door with his team. How long had he been stood here? Two hours? Three? Maybe four. Jack wasn't sure anymore. Time had melted into one continuous stretch, no beginning and no end.

"What was that?"

Audrey stopped crying, everyone held their breaths.

Before Jack could open his eyes, he heard the blessed sound of glass shattering and heavy footsteps running down the hall.

Gunshots sounded from every corner of the room. He heard one man go down; two. Cheng was still stood right in front of him, of that Jack was sure. Opening one eye, he saw the man had his back to him, his gun aimed at Curtis.

"Mr Manning, I had a feeling you wouldn't be very far behind."

"Shut up," spat Curtis, his eyes not leaving Cheng.

Seeing his chance, Jack slowly struggled to his feet, his hands reaching automatically for the weapon at his belt. He held it, waveringly pointing at Cheng's back.

Curtis's eyes flicked to Jack. Spinning round, Cheng was greeted by a shot to the chest. He fell heavily, landing at Jack's feet.

"The Chinese never forget, Mr Bauer," he said quietly.

"Nor do I," muttered Jack, delivering another shot.

Silence filled the room.

Curtis eyed his team. He only had one man down, and he wasn't seriously injured.

"Jack, are you okay?"

"Yeah." He looked over at Audrey, who was being comforted by a man Jack vaguely recognised from field ops. "How is Audrey?"

"She's fine, Jack." Curtis didn't look or sound convinced by Jack's answer. "Listen, you want to see a medic or something?"

"I said I'm okay, Curtis."

"Okay, Jack." Curtis took out his ear piece and gave it to Jack. "But you might want to convince CTU."

Jack took the ear piece and instantly heard Bill's voice, barking orders to someone on the floor.

"Bill."

"Jack, are you okay?" He could hear it in Bill's voice; he felt guilty.

"I'm fine, Bill."

They had all heard what Cheng had said to him. But they hadn't seen how scared he had been, and Jack wanted to keep it that way.

"Can I speak to Chloe?"

Bill paused. "She's had to… step out a minute, Jack. Don't worry, she's fine. Listen, get yourself back here."

"Yeah." Jack couldn't help but be concerned. It wasn't like Chloe to step out during a high profile mission. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

He removed the ear piece and handed it back to Curtis.

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She'd prayed for Curtis to be quick.

After Bill had given the go, there wasn't a lot else she could do until Curtis arrived at Audrey's house. He'd said he was 30 seconds out, but it was 30 seconds too long in her view.

She'd heard what Cheng had said to him. Tears had sprung to her eyes as she found herself feeling unimaginable pain, pain at not being able to help Jack. Images filled her mind of what might be happening to him, things she was powerless to stop.

Bill had sent her off the floor to calm down. Normally, she would have stood her ground and defied his orders, but for once she heeded his words and almost ran into the locker room, slamming the door shut and leaning against it for support.

"Chloe? Chloe, are you in there?"

"Milo?"

"Yeah. Chloe, come out. He's fine, it's all over."

"Oh, God."

Outside the door, Milo hesitated. "Chloe?"

"I'm on my way, Milo. Can't a girl have five minutes?"

He smiled to himself. That was more like it.

"You got it."

She heard him walk away, waited until his footsteps had faded completely before getting to her feet.

She checked her hair in the mirror and washed her face, wiping away all traces of her tears.

"Come on, O'Brian," she muttered to herself, taking several deep breaths. Satisfied, she nodded at her reflection, then turned and walked resolutely back out to the floor.

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Jack watched as a medic checked Audrey over, despite her insistence that she was fine. She had a red mark on her cheek where she had been slapped; that would turn into a bruise in a few hours. Her concern was for Jack, however, and she dismissed the harassed looking medic with a wave of her hand when she saw him approach her.

"Jack… I don't know what to say."

"There's nothing to say. It wasn't your fault."

He didn't sit down, choosing instead to pause a few steps in front of her.

"Won't you at least let someone take a look at you?"

"I told Curtis I'm fine." His tone was harsher than intended, and he immediately saw the hurt in her eyes. "Audrey, I'm fine," he said, more gently this time. "I don't need to see a medic."

"Are you heading back to CTU?"

Jack sighed. "Bill wants me too. But I'm not under his orders so I don't have to go back straight away." He glanced around the room, unable to meet her eyes. "Part of me doesn't want to go."

Audrey felt her heart lift at his last words, but the look of defeat on his face told her that he probably wouldn't be staying there with her. As much as she hated it, she knew he needed to get away, to go far away and try to win the battle with his inner demons.

Jack surveyed the room, anything to keep his eyes from locking with Audrey's.

Something wasn't right.

As he looked towards the door, where Cheng's body was being lifted onto a gurney, he knew he should feel elated and relieved that that chapter of his life had finally come to a close.

But something was nagging at him, telling him there was something else he had to do before he could truly be free.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Enough Part Three**_

"Jack, what is it?" Audrey's tone was full of concern, yet she was worried as to what Jack was holding back. She knew him well enough to know when he was keeping something from her.

He finally raised his eyes from the floor and looked at her sadly.

"Audrey," he said eventually, sitting down next to her on the sofa. Taking one of her hands in his, he watched as the last of Curtis' men left the house.

Bringing up the rear, Curtis stopped and reconsidered his acceptance of Jack's decision to remain with Audrey.

"Are you sure you don't want a lift back to CTU?"

"I would rather be in my own home," replied Audrey, her voice slightly curt. "But thankyou, Curtis."

"Jack?"

"I'll be back later. Thanks for everything here."

Curtis shrugged. "Alright."

His footsteps receded down the hall and the front door slammed shut behind him.

Audrey glanced around the room, taking in the various blood stains and dirty foot prints spattered across the cream carpet.

Jack's eyes followed hers.

"You can't stay here."

"It's my home, Jack. I'm not going to let terrorists drive me out of my home, for Christ sake!"

Normally, he would have argued her choice, but he wasn't a part of her life any more, and no amount of pretending could change that.

The nagging feeling inside him suddenly resurfaced, and this time Jack knew what he needed to do.

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Chloe discretely removed her ear piece and placed it on the desk. Looking across at Bill, she saw him do the same, a tired look on his face. Sensing her eyes on him, he turned and nodded, understanding. She neither wanted nor needed to hear the conversation that was about to take place.

"Great job, everyone," Bill announced, taking up position at the foot of the stairs. "Both Jack and Audrey are unhurt."

Here he paused. Chloe cast her eyes to the floor, knowing his last statement to be far from the truth.

"So!" Bill clapped his hands together, recovering himself. "Let's finish up on comms, and I'll have department heads in the situation room for a debrief when Curtis gets back."

The floor slowly came back to life, people talking amongst themselves, quietly at first but then with more confidence as Bill turned and headed back up to his office.

"That was pretty intense," muttered Milo, approaching Chloe's station.

"Yeah. What do you want, Milo?"

Milo shrugged, hands in his pockets. " Nothing. I… uh… you reacted pretty strongly there, Chloe."

"And? Get to your point!" Chloe could feel her temperature rising as the anger bubbled up inside her. Determined to keep her cool, she took her eyes off Milo and concentrated on shutting down the infra red feed on her screen.

Sighing, Milo replied, "Nothing, just an observation. Forget I said anything."

"I already have."

Milo opened his mouth but before he could say anything Chloe's phone rang. Feeling somewhat relieved, Chloe snatched it up.

"O'Brian," she said automatically, waving Milo away. Shaking his head, he turned and walked back to his station, occasionally throwing glances back over his shoulder. Chloe chose to ignore this as she focussed on Bill's voice at the other end of the line.

"Chloe, can I please see you in my office?"

She craned her neck and could just make out Bill's suit clad form behind the paper mountain that was his desk. His body language told her that "no" probably wasn't the right answer.

"Okay, I'll be right up."

Hanging up, Chloe stood and made the few short steps towards the stairs. As she ascended, she held on to the hand rail gratefully, only now realising the extent to which her nerves had been stretched.

She didn't bother knocking; instead, she slowly pushed open the door and positioned herself in front of Bill, willing him to get straight to the point.

"Chloe, please sit down."

"I'm okay, Mr Buchanan." Her legs screamed otherwise, but she remained standing.

"Okay. I'll get to it. I don't think I need to explain why I asked you to step down just now."

It wasn't a question.

"No, you don't." She found herself answering it anyway, just for something to say.

Bill closed his eyes, gathered himself. "It must have been hard for you, not being able to help Jack."

"You could say that." There was no point in lying; Bill wasn't a stupid man.

"It wasn't a reflection of your work," he continued. "However we both know that your… emotional attachment to Jack was affecting you, more deeply than either of you would ever dare to admit."

When he met no resistance, he persevered with his speech, well aware that it was something someone should have said to her, or indeed Jack, a long time ago.

"This goes beyond today, doesn't it?"

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It was Audrey who said it.

"Jack, I can't do this any more."

He seemed to need no explanation as to what "this" was. Looking her straight in the eye, he smiled.

"I know."

Audrey released her breath as if in relief. "You do?"

"I do."

"Jack, it's just-"

"You don't have to tell me, believe me I understand. More than ever." She'd spoken the words to him before, right after Paul had died. Told him she couldn't be with him, couldn't live in his world.

"We tried, didn't we?" Her voice was sad, and she blinked back tears.

"Of course we did. And I wanted it to work, I really did. But now… so much has changed… we've changed." Jack paused. "I never meant for you to get hurt like this, Audrey."

"I know you didn't. I said it once and I'll say it again, Jack. I never blamed you for Paul's death. Yes, I was upset, and very hurt, but I realised that you did what you needed to do. Everyone else could see it straight away." She laughed. "And that was the problem, wasn't it?"

"Audrey?"

Both looked up at the sound of a male voice, frantic with worry. Glass crunched under heavy feet and soon the lounge door was being thrown open. Terrified eyes took in the stains on the floor, and finally turned to the strange yet ever so familiar man that was sat on the couch next to his fiancée.

"Audrey! Oh my God, you're okay!" Eddie ran to her, crouched down before her and took her hands in his. "Thelma rang me. She heard gun shots. What's been going on here?"

Jack stood, not wanting to intrude on this personal moment.

"Eddie, I'm fine. There were… men here… looking for Jack. But they've gone now."

"Jack?"

Eddie rose, realisation hitting him. "You must be Jack Bauer."

Jack merely nodded.

"Jack, this is Eddie. My… fiancé." Audrey stood also, her eyes flicking between the two men.

Extending a hand, Jack smiled. "Good to meet you."

"About time," Eddie responded. He didn't return the gesture. "I've heard about you."

Jack dropped his hand. "I'm sorry about that."

"Eddie, Jack didn't come here. I called him. Those men… they held me at gun point and asked me to call Jack. They wanted to take him… it was the Chinese, Eddie."

The taller man eyed Jack, saw him visibly flinch at Audrey's words.

"They all thought you were dead."

"So did I."

Audrey placed a hand on Eddie's arm. "Please, Eddie."

Eddie was perceptive enough to know not to press the issue. It was clear that Jack was in a lot of pain, perhaps not physically, but his words and eyes betrayed him.

"I'm the one that should be sorry." Eddie finally held out his hand, which Jack shook. They came to a silent accord, for which Audrey was grateful.

"Look after her, won't you?"

Audrey found herself smiling.

"Of course I will." Eddie slipped an arm around Audrey's waist and she leant against him, her eyes still on Jack.

"Where are you going to go?"

"Back to CTU." The words came freely; it was where he always went. Where else did he have to go? He removed the car keys from his pocket. "Bill will want to talk to me, no doubt."

"Tell him thankyou, and Curtis," said Audrey, regaining her confidence. "They saved our lives."

Jack nodded. "I will."

There didn't seem to be anything more to say, except

"Goodbye, Jack."

The words were easier to say than either had anticipated. "Goodbye, Audrey. Eddie," added Jack, nodding one last time before turning and walking away.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Enough Part Four**_

He sat in the car, unsure of what to do next. He'd told Audrey he would go back to CTU, and that's where he now found himself, in a parking bay on the lower level of the car park.

Switching off the engine, he replayed the scene over in his head, trying to understand how it had been so… painless… to let go. Surely he should have felt something, something other than immense relief.

He rested his head against the steering wheel, exhaustion suddenly overwhelming him. He wanted nothing more than to sleep, yet it evaded him, just like it had for the last twenty months.

Jack's troubled mind searched for a source of comfort, something to calm him down.

Her face came to him instantly.

Sitting up slowly, Jack recalled how Bill had told him she'd had to step out during the mission. That wasn't like her. He hadn't been able to pursue the fact further at the time, and Bill didn't seem to want to elaborate.

Thinking clearly now, Jack opened the car door and climbed out, locking it behind him as he strode purposefully towards the elevator.

People on the floor turned as one as he pushed the main doors open.

Silence fell, the only sound being that of the low humming of the computers. He froze in the doorway, suddenly unsure. He'd walked through those doors so many times, just pushed them open and continued on his way, yet now he felt as though he had nowhere to go.

She wasn't there. He'd been so sure she would be sat her desk, fingers tapping away, a scowl of concentration on her face. But she wasn't there.

He felt himself fall back, stumble. No one reached out to help him, no one spoke as he turned and walked back out of the doors and into the corridor where he looked frantically around him, desperately hoping to see a flash of her dark hair or hear the click of her heels on the tiled floor.

The corridor stretched on in either direction for what seemed like an eternity. Moonlight was filtering in from the skylights above his head, and the fluorescent lighting had been dimmed, casting an eerie yet somewhat calming glow. It was unusual for the place to be to so quiet; normally there were agents running up and down the corridor no matter what time of day it was.

Voices entered his thoughts, broke through his momentary confusion. He looked up from the floor, tracing the source of the noise.

"Buchanan wants department heads in the situation room, didn't you hear him? Curtis is back."

"I've already spoken to Buchanan."

"But you're a department head, Chloe. I wish you'd come out of the bathroom, I hate talking to you through a door."

"Then go away."

"What shall I tell Bill?"

"Whatever you like, Milo. I told you, I've spoken to him, now I'm leaving. Please go away."

Milo muttered something but Jack wasn't quite listening. She was leaving?

He quickly made his way left towards the direction of the ladies' bathroom, and could just make out Milo's tall frame walking in the opposite direction. He was still muttering to himself but Jack ignored this and approached the door hesitantly.

He pressed his ear to the door and could hear the sound of running water, of footsteps pacing up and down, of Chloe muttering to herself under her breath.

Not able to stand outside any longer, and not caring who walked down the corridor behind him, Jack pushed the bathroom door open with such force that it bounced off the wall behind. He put his hand out to stop it slamming shut, his breathing heavy.

Stunned at the interruption to her thoughts, Chloe felt her legs almost fail her again as she took in the motionless figure framed in the doorway.

"Jack?"

"Don't leave." His voice was shaky, pleading. "Please, Chloe."

Before she could react, he let go of the door, letting it close quietly behind him.

"Where were you? I asked to speak to you and you weren't there."

Her heart ached at the look of sheer helplessness on his face. "I-I-uh… I thought you were with Audrey," Chloe stammered, both avoiding and answering his question.

He shook his head slowly.

"I'm sorry, Jack," Chloe told him, unsure if that was what she was supposed to say.

"It's fine." His tone was surprisingly calm; she could hear the honesty in his words and believed them. But Chloe couldn't quite understand one thing.

"Why are you here, Jack?"

He laughed bitterly. "You know, I don't even know. It seems all I can do is come back here, I haven't got anywhere else to go. Two years in China and now I've come back to the place that put me there in the first place." Tears were threatening behind his eyes, and he could feel a lump forming in his throat. Closing his eyes, he whispered, "Don't go, Chloe."

Chloe took a deep breath. She had to find a way to explain it to him, make him understand. "Morris-"

"Morris? After what he did today… he isn't good enough for you," Jack spat before he could stop himself. He saw the light dim in her eyes, instantly regretted what he'd said for the pain it had caused her. "Chloe…"

The ferocity of his words took her breath away. "Morris and I are through," she continued, closing her eyes. She felt tears squeeze out and slide down her face. This didn't go unnoticed by Jack.

This time it was Jack who was unsure how to respond. "I'm sorry, Chloe," he said finally, opting for the same tactic she had.

A small smile played on her lips. "I know."

His eyes strayed to the small bag at her feet. He could see a few possessions which normally belonged on her desk, and he felt his heart lurch. "You're really going." His voice was empty now, a sad look in his eyes.

"Yeah." She knelt down and picked the bag up, placing it on one of the wash basins. Her head bowed, she began moving things about in an attempt to get the bag to close. Her small fingers struggled with the zip, and she tugged at it in frustration, refusing to give in to the tears now flooding her eyes. "Come on," she muttered, biting her lip as the zip became stuck once again.

Jack silently walked up behind her, placed his hands over hers. Chloe looked up at his reflection in the mirror, but his eyes were focused on the zip, his hands guiding hers until finally the bag was closed.

Task completed, Jack's hands tightened their grip on Chloe's, intertwining his fingers with hers. She leaned her head back against his chest and closed her eyes, not daring to believe that any of it was real.

She realised then that she hadn't answered Jack's question.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"_This goes beyond today, doesn't it?"_

_Chloe was torn between scowling and lying, or avoiding Bill's eyes and telling him the truth._

"_Yes," she whispered, finally sitting down at the chair in front of Bill's desk, her eyes looking anywhere but at the concerned face of the regional director._

"_I know it's none of my business," he went on, "but you've been through a lot. Both of you. Today and in the past. Seems to me he's the only one you trust, and vice versa." _

_Chloe didn't deny it, didn't bother to correct him and add that she was starting to trust him too, for everything he had done for Jack that day._

"_What Morris did was inexcusable, I'm sure you're aware of that."_

"_Yes, I am. I swear, Mr Buchanan, if I had known-"_

"_It's okay, Chloe. I know."_

_He regarded her seriously. "Jack's going to get through this, whatever he and Audrey decide to do. You, Chloe, are also going to get through it. Jack's going to need to know you're there for him, God knows he needs all the support he can get right now. Can you do that for him?"_

"_Of course I can!" Her tone was indignant, just like he'd known it would be._

_Bill sat back in his chair and watched as the effects of his words hit Chloe, who scowled at him._

"_I can," she repeated, more determined. "I will."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He needed her.

It had hit her as she'd descended the stairs back to her station, and stayed with her as she watched Curtis stride through the main doors of CTU. When she realised he was alone, it hit her with renewed force, and she nodded mutely as Curtis walked by and smiled.

It was only when Bill had called the debrief did she finally escape the clamour of the floor and retreat to the locker room, pulling her spare overnight bag from the top shelf of her locker. She'd run back to her desk, safe in the knowledge that the debrief would last a good half hour, and hurriedly shoved anything and everything into the small compartments, barely aware of what she was doing.

Moving quickly, Chloe had shut down her station and, with one eye on the situation room, dashed across the floor and out into the hallway. Once in the bathroom, she'd stopped and thrown the still open bag to the floor, at a loss for what to do next. She hadn't thought far beyond emptying her desk; she certainly hadn't planned her exit route and she definitely hadn't counted on Milo coming to look for her.

As he'd given up and walked away, Chloe ran some cold water and splashed it over her face, trying to slow her breathing and think calmly. She tried to reason with herself that this would be the right thing to do. Jack didn't need her, it would be better if she took a few weeks away, thought about her next move-

The door crashing open had brought Chloe to her senses, and it had only taken one look at Jack's crushed and emotionally battered face to know that she'd been wrong. He did need her. And… this terrified her more than anything else… she needed him.

Running away wasn't going to solve that; it wasn't the answer they were looking for.

Jack stood back suddenly, breaking contact.

"You should go," he said quietly, his eyes meeting hers in the glass.

The air around her was cold now that he had moved away, and Chloe pulled her jacket tighter around her, shivering involuntarily.

"I never told you where I was." She turned around so that she could face him.

Jack shrugged. "It doesn't matter." The look in his eyes told her that it was okay, he already knew the answer. "Thankyou, Chloe," he smiled, "for everything."

He turned towards the door.

Chloe felt panic start to rise up inside her. "I'm not leaving," she blurted out.

Confusion flitted across Jack's face. "What?"

"No more running." She shyly held out a hand to him. "We're doing this together."

"We are?" Jack sounded unsure, but a smile spread across his face as he realised that Chloe meant what she said. She'd never lied to him, never let him down.

"We are." Chloe returned his smile as Jack took her hand and gripped it with a renewed strength. She wished she could find the words to tell him how much he meant to her. She'd pleaded with Nadia earlier in the day… had it really only been that morning?... telling her that she obviously didn't know what Jack meant to her. In truth, Chloe herself didn't know the words to explain her feelings, if indeed there _were _words to express how she felt about Jack Bauer.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Jack shook his head. He knew. He understood what she was trying to say because he was unsure how to say it himself. Instead, he pulled her to him, and they stood like that for a few minutes.

This time it was Chloe who pulled back. Keeping hold of Jack's hand, she picked up her bag and walked towards the door.

"Where are we going?" he asked, following as she walked out into the still empty corridor.

Chloe didn't answer him straight away. He caught up to her and released her hand, preferring instead to put an arm round her waist and pull her close. She didn't resist, leaning against him as they took the elevator back to the car park.

Jack repeated his question as he realised they were headed towards her car, parked, he now noticed, only a few spaces away from his own.

She unlocked the car and threw the bag unceremoniously onto the back seat, watching as the contents scattered across the floor. Jack hesitantly opened the passenger door and looked at her, wanting reassurance that this was okay. Chloe smiled at him, and he took his seat, watching as she silently did the same.

He waited patiently for her to answer him, knowing she would in her own time.

Chloe started the engine and backed out of her space, before accelerating through the darkened lot and up into the moonlit night.

"I don't know," she said honestly, as CTU disappeared from the rearview and empty road stretched ahead of them. "But we're going together."


End file.
